


Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall

by tigriswolf



Series: comment_fic drabbles [81]
Category: Marvel (Movies), Marvel Avengers Movies Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Kidnapping, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Not Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, Not Captain America: The Winter Soldier Compliant, Not Iron Man 3 Compliant, Not Thor: The Dark World Compliant, Seduction, Stream of Consciousness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-04
Updated: 2012-07-15
Packaged: 2017-11-09 03:41:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/450846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tigriswolf/pseuds/tigriswolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>See, the thing is, the thing Tony will never admit to anyone (until he does), is that if he made himself a god, just for him, perfect and broken, to fit in all his shattered places - it would be Loki.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title: Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall  
> Fandom: Avengers movieverse  
> Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Milton  
> Warnings: post-film; stream-of-consciousness rambling  
> Pairings: Loki/Tony, possibly implied Loki/Clint, past Pepper/Tony  
> Rating: PG  
> Wordcount: 605  
> Point of view: third  
> Prompt: Avengers, Tony/Loki, how can being attracted to the God of Mischief be a bad thing?

See, the thing is, the thing Tony will never admit to anyone (until he does), is that if he made himself a god, just for him, perfect and broken, to fit in all his shattered places - it would be Loki. Loki, the cleverest person in nine realms (self-declared, but no one's arguing); Loki, angry and bitter and so damned powerful Tony can't help but believe him when he says that plan didn't fail, it went perfectly, because it got the invaders killed and him back in Asgard. 

Yeah. Tony's not an idiot. The opposite, actually. Not the cleverest person in nine realms, but Loki smirks at him, sometimes, whenever they foil him again (what, like you thought Asgard could hold him? Pfft. He had at least a thousand years of studying their methods). Loki smirks at him, and sometimes a sheet of paper explaining his latest trick shows up in Tony's workshop, and he should tell someone about that, he really should, Fury or Thor, or at least Bruce, the only person on Earth capable of actually slowing Loki down.

… he should tell someone. Pepper, maybe, wonderful Pepper, the only person to ever stick things out with him, until he fucked things up again and he doesn't blame her for backing off, being friend and CEO but not lover, never again.

( _I know what you’re doing_ , Clint tells him one afternoon, when he drops in to talk about arrows and explosions. 

_I’m doing a lot of things_ , Tony says, and Clint huffs a small laugh.

But Clint doesn’t tell anyone else, and sometimes, he looks so wistful.

Tony wonders what Clint’s perfect god would look like.)

It’s not going to end well, because Tony won’t betray the only family he’s ever had, and he won’t kill – 

Tony doesn’t believe in gods. He believes in what he can test, and apparently, faith doesn’t really take well to being tested. And more primitive humans might’ve worshipped Asgard, but Tony’s seen them bleed and weep, and he knows he _could_ kill them. 

Gods don’t bleed, and gods don’t weep. 

Gods don’t die. 

Everything dies.

So, see, the thing is… the thing is, Loki is not Tony’s god. He’s always had a soft spot for Hephaestus, actually, but Loki had scoffed when he asked about that (what, of course they’re talking, you think Tony can hang out with anyone for a while without talking? Please. Even if their mouths did other things for a bit, well. Loki’s got this _voice_ , right? Of course Tony talks to him.). 

Anyway. The point. Tony’s run the numbers, assessed the variables, plotted out a thousand ways this whole thing can go. None of them end well. 

(Iron Man is a hero. Somehow. Tony knows what a slippery slope those first few weeks were, when he looked out over the world and thought about it. 

No one could have stopped him, then. But he saw Obie, _felt_ Obie, and he saw what not to do, what not to become.

And Loki, Thor’s little brother, lashing out and so damned bitter – he never had that. 

He could be Loki, and Loki could’ve been him, and Natasha studies him sometimes, and he raises an eyebrow at her, and she doesn’t say a thing.)

“If I asked,” Loki muses, one finger tracing Tony’s jaw, his other hand spread out over the arc reactor. 

Loki doesn’t finish the thought, but Tony’s not a moron. Loki’s attacks lately have been – almost _easy-going_. Simple. Child’s play. 

Courting gifts.

“I’d refuse,” he says, but he isn’t sure anymore, and Loki’s small smile and biting kiss says he knows it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony’s caught without his suit, without his team, without anything but his brains and his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title: Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall  
> Fandom: Avengers movieverse  
> Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Milton  
> Warnings: violence, implications of torture, a protective god  
> Pairings: Loki/Tony  
> Rating: PG  
> Wordcount: 405  
> Point of view: third  
> Prompt: any, any/+any, trusting in their God

Tony’s caught without his suit, without his team, without anything but his brains and his hands. (Last time he was in this situation? He turned a cave into a tomb and showed the whole world it should fear him, but apparently the lesson didn’t stick.)

“You will do what we want,” Would-Be Big Bad pronounces, glaring down at Tony. “You will do what we want or you will die.” 

Tony raises an eyebrow and smirks, because, yeah, no, that’s not how this works. This guy doesn’t have anyone he can threaten for Tony’s cooperation because he’s not that smart, and Tony’s not inclined to do anything this stupid bastard wants.

The Big Bad slaps him across the face. Tony turns with it and looks back, still smirking. The Big Bad’s glare intensifies (and Tony gives it ten minutes, maybe, before his team shows up, such a stupid idiot) and he snaps something in whatever language he normally speaks, and three minions march over, grabbing Tony’s shoulders and tearing off his shirt.

Which – no. 

“Do what we want, Mr. Stark,” Would-Be Big Bad says, “or we remove the machine from your heart.”

“No,” Tony says.

“Very well,” Big Bad says, and the minions' grips tighten, and Big Bad reaches – 

Tony can handle it, really he can, except now he’s back in Malibu, and the man he used to love, the man he looked up to, the man he trusted is killing him, and talking so softly, so cruelly, and he’s helpless and he’s alone and he’s betrayed – 

“Oh, you shouldn’t do that,” a cold, arrogant voice says, and Big Bad stops as Tony blinks, back in the warehouse (and always warehouses, he should just buy the lot of them so bad guys quit having access), and everyone looks over en masse, and there is Loki.

Of course there’s Loki. They've been dancing for months now.

“How did you get in?” Big Bad demands as the goons not holding Tony rush Loki. 

Loki rolls his eyes and the goons collapse. The Big Bad growls and turns back to Tony, reaching for his chest. 

And his neck snaps and the rest of his goons hit the floor. 

“Next time this happens,” Loki murmurs, leaning in to kiss his way along Tony’s jaw, “call my name.” 

Tony doesn’t reply, but he tilts his head to give Loki access to his neck, and he knows that _yes_ is getting closer all the time.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Fic DVD Commentaries](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6795196) by [tigriswolf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tigriswolf/pseuds/tigriswolf)




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